INFO:

BERKELEY, CA August 31, 2017 – The Dance Up Close/East Bay program of Shawl-Anderson Dance Center presents Dana Lawton Dances and her company in their 10th anniversary performances. Artist-In-Residence at Berkeley’s Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in 2007, Dana Lawton Dances (DLD) was founded to bring together a group of dancers spanning a wide range of ages committed to Dana’s artistic vision. A key focus of her work in the last decade has also been collaborations with musicians and composers to support her choreographic explorations. The anniversary performances will highlight Lawton’s dancers, feature live music and revisit a decade of Lawton’s dances, which have become a beloved part of the fabric of East Bay contemporary dance.

Lawton explains,

“My original reason for starting the company was to celebrate social diversity and develop meaningful collaborations with other artists. My company ranges in age from 23 to 67. Working with dancers of diverse ages offers a unique perspective into the rich multiplicity of human lives, provides the audience with a new perspective on what constitutes a dancer, and inspires people to re-imagine what is possible at any age.”

This anniversary season will showcase the range of dancers and composers that Lawton has collaborated with in six pared down evenings of music and dance. The run will embrace simplicity in design and visuals, punctuated by elegant lighting design by Linda Baumgardner, in order to reveal the essence of the relationship between movement and sound and celebrate the emotional impact of Lawton’s work. Each weekend will feature a different program of dances and musicians, so audiences are encouraged to attend more than one show.

In honor of the 10th anniversary, audiences will also have the opportunity to kick off each evening at 7pm to mingle over pizza, wine and chocolate. The performance begins at 8pm each night. Tickets for the performance only are $25 and tickets including the 7pm reception are $35.

Collaborators include Lawton’s core company of dancers and several of the musicians that she has worked with in the last 10 years.

Dancers:

Michael Armstrong

Leah Curran

Garth Grimball

Leah Hendrix-Smith

Dana Lawton

Jerry Lin

John McConville

Colin McDowell

Robin Nasatir

Vera Schwegler

Jennifer Smith

Musicians & Composers:

Arwen Lawrence

Jorge Liceaga

Ted Curran

Dina Zarif

Ameila Romano

Michele Beauchesne

Sean McCue

Jon Lawton

Company Designer

Linda Baumgardner

Musician Schedule by date

October 7-8

Ted Curran; Arwen Lawrence, Jorge Liceaga & Dina Zarif

October 14-15 (SOLD OUT)

Sean McCue & Michelle Beauchesne

October 21-22

Jon Lawton

About Shawl-Anderson Dance Center:

Shawl-Anderson Modern Dance Center provides Bay Area dance students of all ages and levels with high caliber training in both contemporary and traditional movement forms in a welcoming, non-competitive environment. The Center is a non-profit organization founded in 1958 by Frank Shawl and Victor Anderson. Shawl-Anderson Dance Center is committed to nurturing and mentoring the growth of dancers and choreographers; cultivating a healthy and supportive atmosphere for creative expression; sustaining traditions essential to excellence in the field; and, fostering the evolution of the art of dance.

About Dance Up Close/East Bay:

The Dance Up Close/East Bay series offers local audiences an intimate space to see professional level work, and supports local choreographers who want to produce their work for several weeks in a row. With the help of two grants in 2008 from the Zellerbach Family Foundation and the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission, the presenting series is run by Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. It was launched in late May 2008 with Paufve Dance and has been followed by such artists as: Nina Haft and Company, ahdanco, Dandelion Dance Theater, Urban Jazz Dance, Angela Demmel & Dancers, Fog Beast, Stranger Lover Dreamer, Right Brain Performance Lab, ka·nei·see | collective and Mid to West Dance Collective.